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Billy Elliot Musical Reviews
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| 46 |
See with family Review by: , Dec 29, 2010 |
| Very good for any age group. Highly recommend this show especially if looking for a family play. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Family
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Recommended for:
The Entire Family
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| 47 |
I wish someone had warned me! Review by: Donna, Dec 29, 2010 |
| Every review I read about Billy Elliot said it was absolutely wonderful. This makes me wonder what is wrong with the world. While the acting, singing and dancing in Billy Elliot was very good, and the cast very talented, my family and I would not have chosen to see this show had we known the language was so profane! I found it very disturbing that the children in this production were using such vulgar language, and even more disturbing ... read more that the audience was enjoying it! I can't believe this show is deemed "appropriate for all audiences". I also found the big production number wishing Margaret Thatcher dead very distasteful. I would not call boys dancing around in girls dresses to express their "individuality" appropriate, either. My husband, our two teenaged daughters and I wish we would have spent our money and braved a snowstorm to see some other show. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 48 |
A Masterpiece Review by: Steven, Dec 18, 2010 |
| I completely agree with Bob, below. I also have been going to shows for 40 years and this show is #1 or #2 on my list. I have seen it five times on Broadway, once in Chicago, and plan to see it in Portland and London in 2011. It is rare that a musical also touches your heart and could very well change your life. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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| 49 |
My favoriute shows...Billy Elliott, Jersey Boys, Hello Dolly lead th list Review by: Bob, Dec 18, 2010 |
Great Show!!!!!!!! Go See It!
I've seen many shows, 8 in the last week ans a half, been going to Broadway for 40 years and this is right at the top of the list. I has all the elements that sing to your soul, make you laugh, make you cry and when you leave you smile and want to tell your friends to go. I have seen BE 4 times in NYC and twice in Chicago. I am a drummer and the music has the beat and the drive that makes it fabulous. I love ... read more Elton John as a performer, as a super guy doing what he does for the Ryan White charities and now as a composer of a Broadway musical. Hope he does more musicals. I also hope BE stays around for a long time so I continue to go in for my BE fix several times a year. Sorry BE left Chicago but off to Toronto. Also I am happy that a road company has been formed and I will catch it around the country as I travel. If you think the language will offend your kids, leave them home till there 12 and then they will be fine. |
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must see!
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| 50 |
Be Yourself Review by: gryffindor, Dec 1, 2010 |
For clarification for one of the other posters, the scene with the ballet girls sitting on the miners' laps is part of an eight-minute number representing the intermingling of the strikers and the police, the innocent kids and the hardened miners. It was meant to show how life mixes in this small town. To think it represented anything smarmy is ridiculous.
Michael's cross-dressing is another example of how the people in this town try ... read more to express themselves, as a way to leave their hardened lives for awhile. Billy wants to be a ballet dancer, Michael tries to be himself, grandma thinks back to the time she was able to dance and be free.
The whole point of the show is that everyone should be allowed to express themselves and to be who they are.
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My recommendation:
must see!
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| 51 |
talented dancing but disturbing themes Review by: disappointed , Nov 29, 2010 |
| Forget the language, can hear worse on any TV show. I am surprised no one was uncomfortable with the little girls in tutus dancing on miner's laps and the rather unnecessary, to me, scene with the other little boy cross dressing. What that had to do with Billy's wanting to dance is beyond me. Although I was completely blown away by the dancing talent, the show just seemed to lack cohesiveness. Just seemed to be a sophomoric composite ... read more of all kinds of things from other shows (dancing dresses, goofy grandma, tug at the heart mom, etc) Nothing tied together. I'm glad I went but do not care to go again. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 52 |
It all depends on the Billy Review by: Broadwayfan, Nov 26, 2010 |
| I have seen Billy twice. Everything depends on the "Billy" who is playing the lead role that evening. Last year I saw a wonderful actor-dancer-singer who was simply outstanding. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire show as the other cast members were terrific also. However, in September I saw the show again with friends who had listened to my raves from the year before. We were very disappointed with the Billy we saw. While he was an OK dancer, ... read more he could not sing well and his voice kept cracking because it was changing. He seemed tired and his acting was uninspired. The new Michael is not as good as the prior one either. We were very disappointed. |
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I saw this show with:
Large Group
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Recommended for:
Tourists, Adults
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Incredible Show Review by: James14, Nov 19, 2010 |
I'm not understanding why some people are making such a fuss over the language in this show. First of all, the language in "Jersey Boys" is far worse, and you can hear much worse on cable TV. There are indeed some instances of four letter words (not that many), but it's not like people haven't heard them before. Secondly, the action of the show takes place in a Northern England mining town. This is the way they speak! Times were tough there ... read more (and still are)--tough even for the kids. They can't go around saying "fiddle faddle" and "oh, gosh".
I've seen this show numerous times, and I would say that the instances of "swear words" takes up maybe two to three minutes total of a three hour show. And this is what people are focusing on? Not the music, not the dancing, not the choreography, not the incredible talent of the cast?
If you decide not to see this show because you might be offended at a few four letter words, you will be missing one of the all time great Broadway shows. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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| 54 |
EXCELLENT Review by: mis11ty, Nov 13, 2010 |
| This is an excellent play. Don't miss it. The lead dancer is young, vibrant and very talented. It is also educational as you learn about the mines, strikes etc. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Alone
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Recommended for:
Seniors, Adults
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| 55 |
Language warning for children, but fabulous show! Review by: Detroit Girl, Nov 10, 2010 |
I loved the show, though for parents, a warning. I took my Girl Scout troop and realized too late that the f-bomb and every other imaginable curse word would be used. Our 10-year-old girls were slack-jawed at the language, and wanted to know which girl part was the Hoo Hoo (yikes!). The sexuality was handled pretty delicately and the violence was, for the most part, stylized. I absolutely loved the Angry dance--dramatic, heartfelt. I cried ... read more when his (dead) mother sang to him.
The choreography and music were fabulous. The dancing dresses scene with Michael and Billy reminded me very much of the Emerald City scene in Wicked. |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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I saw this show with:
Large Group
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Recommended for:
Tourists, Adults, Anyone
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| 56 |
Disappointed! Review by: Lela, Nov 5, 2010 |
| We brought friends to this broadway play for their anniversaty. All eight (8) of us walked out. The language was disgraceful. How could anyone allow children to speak profanity. We just wish they would have put same in the reviews. It was not necessary. We were embarrassed and to see and hear children in the audience who were appalled too, was disgraceful. If the profanity was left out, the play may have been decent. How ... read more anyone could allow their child to speak in this way is revolting. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
Large Group
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| 57 |
Amazing, Amazing, Amazing Review by: YanksInWorldSeries, Oct 13, 2010 |
I'm not sure what kind of show would please the people who don't like "Billy Elliot". Everything in this production is not only top-notch, but is mind-boggling in terms of its ability to grab your emotions. The music is wonderful. I buy quite a few original cast CDs, but this is one of the only ones I listen to all the time. The dancing and choreography is some of the greatest ever seen on Broadway, and I say that as someone who has been ... read more going to Broadway for over 40 years.
I have seen this show many times, and with different casts, and all have been incredibly talented.
This show is funny, moving, and in terms of its message, could very well change your life.
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My recommendation:
must see!
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| 58 |
Review by: , Oct 2, 2010 |
| I was very let down after this show. The music was terrible and it did not seem like there was much continuity between the music and the scenes. The dancing was wonderful and I thought the young man who played Billy was good. However, it was an overall let down. I am sorry we wasted the money. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
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Recommended for:
Adults
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| 59 |
Best thing to happen to Broadway in ten years Review by: Susan Patricia, Sep 30, 2010 |
| Billy Elliot is sensational. It has everything that a musical could possible having going for it. Great sets, great choreography, great voices and a wonderful story. There are several brilliant scene stealers. The hair stood up on the back of my neck during the police scene. I have been going to musicals for 25 years, this rates number two after Les Miserables in London. This is a MUST SEE. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, The Entire Family, Business Assoc.
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| 60 |
Excellentt spectacle, excellent performances, not "deep" but well worth it. Review by: PJBeee, Sep 28, 2010 |
First of all, I go to quite a few shows and watch a lot of movies. And I'm a pretty tough critic. With that in mind....
Saw Billy Elliot tonight (9/28/10) in NYC and was thoroughly entertained. Yes the show is uneven in parts, some of the transitions feel rough, and there is some cheap visual humor in there, especially with regard to homosexuality. But this show is spectacle, and solid entertainment, albeit nothing very deep. Great set ... read more - the complex machinery and set changes are amazing in and of themselves, fine performances, and lots of action on stage. The cast dances their hearts out.
I went ahead and purchased the British cast recording yesterday (cheaper then downloading the individual songs - you get 15 show tunes plus 3 of those tunes separately recorded by Elton John) and listened to it twice, so I was familiar with the songs. The songs are good to very good, not great, but they do work very well in the context of the show. The live orchestra is excellent - and made to sound much larger at times by quite a talented synthesizer player (or players?).
Special comment to the audio engineers and designers: I have some natural trouble - all my life - discerning words sometimes, even in a quiet room - I'm NOT hard of hearing. In this show I heard just about every sung and spoken word clearly, and while the show was loud in parts, never did I feel like the words were drowned out by the music, and never did it feel unnecessarily loud. EXCELLENT AUDIO!!! Very impressive!
So.. I DO heartily recommend the show; don't expect a deep story or message - there is a "message" but it's a simple one - but go with an open mind and even an open heart, and expect solid entertainment. I absolutely feel that I got my money's worth.
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Business Assoc., Tourists
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| * Review is an opinion of a BroadwayBox user and not that of BroadwayBox.com and BroadwayBox, Inc. |
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